Trump Welcomes Russia and China's Cooperation in Passing New Sanctions Against North Korea

Donald Trump, in response to the newly approved sanctions by the United Nations Security Council against North Korea, has pointed out the votes from Russia and China in favor of the resolution. The White House spokesperson also stated that the U.S. President welcomes the cooperation of these two countries. On August 5, the UN Security Council unanimously approved new sanctions against North Korea, which are expected to limit the country's exports to two billion dollars. Shortly after the resolution was passed, Donald Trump referred to the votes from China and Russia alongside the U.S. regarding the sanctions on his Twitter account, stating in another post that 'the UN Security Council resolution is the most extensive sanctions ever imposed against North Korea.' Sarah Sanders, the White House spokesperson, also mentioned in a statement released by news agencies that Trump appreciates China's and Russia's cooperation. The statement noted that the U.S. President praised the resolution for increasing sanctions in response to recent missile tests by Pyongyang and acknowledged the cooperation of Russia and China in achieving this. Ms. Sanders quoted Mr. Trump as saying he would continue to work with Washington's allies to increase diplomatic and economic pressures on North Korea to prevent what has been described as 'destabilizing and threatening behaviors' by North Korea. The new sanctions were approved by the Security Council after criticisms arose between the United States on one side and China and Russia on the other regarding the handling of North Korea and Washington's perception of Moscow's and Beijing's influence over Pyongyang. Previously, the U.S. President and several other Western leaders specifically requested Beijing to make greater efforts to prevent military and nuclear actions from Pyongyang. The United Nations has prohibited North Korea from conducting ballistic missile tests and nuclear tests for military purposes. Meanwhile, Beijing criticized the 'repeated requests' from the U.S. for increased pressure on North Korea and asked Washington to end what it described as 'the assumption of China's responsibility for North Korea.' These statements continued following North Korea's recent tests. Mr. Trump, who once said he knew 'China has tried its best,' stated last week that Beijing 'has done nothing for the U.S.' Following this, even the U.S. representative at the United Nations said convening a Security Council meeting regarding North Korea and its recent ballistic tests is 'useless' and that a weak resolution is 'worse' than issuing no resolution at all. These remarks also faced reactions from Moscow and Beijing, which stated that they are not the source of the problems arising from North Korea and called for a return to the negotiating table. Ultimately, the recent resolution was passed on Saturday. If these sanctions are fully implemented, North Korea will lose one billion dollars from its three billion dollar revenue. However, the proposed halt of oil exports to that country, which was suggested in the U.S. draft, was removed from the text of the resolution. The United Nations had published a report last month indicating that at least 40% of North Korea's population suffers from malnutrition and 70% of citizens require food aid.